MSE Undergraduate Program Objectives (Updated 2005)

The MSE Undergraduate Program is guided by its statement-of-purpose, or Program Objectives, as developed and reviewed by its constituencies - a group that includes industrial practitioners, successful alumni of the Department, MSE students, MSE faculty, representatives of peer MSE departments at other universities, and the College of Engineering.

The objectives of the Materials Science and Engineering Department's undergraduate program are to

• ...prepare our graduates for successful careers in engineering practice or subsequent graduate study by providing a broad, innovative, and quality education in materials science and engineering. Comments
  
  
• ...prepare our graduates with a strong foundation in materials science and engineering, with emphasis on the fundamental scientific and engineering principles which maintain relevance over time and underlie the knowledge and implementation of material structure, processing, properties, and performance of all classes of materials used in engineering systems. Comments
  
  
• ...prepare our graduates for a broad range of materials-related career opportunities by providing ample flexibility within the program of study to enable interest-driven specialization, program customization, and educational experimentation. Comments
  
  
• ...prepare our graduates to participate in all aspects of engineering design (electronic, atomistic, molecular, microstructural, mesoscopic, and macroscopic) that involve materials, as well as the design of material processes and systems. Comments
  
  
• ...prepare our graduates for professional practice through extensive hands-on laboratory experiences and effective, integrated instruction of communication skills, and the ability to learn new skills and attain new knowledge as technology evolves. Comments
  
  
• ...prepare our students to participate as leaders in a diverse global workplace, and to provide them with an awareness of the environmental, societal, and ethical implications of engineering practice. Comments

ABET Accreditation Criteria and MSE Program Outcomes

MSE ensures that all students are provided the skills necessary to be effective practicing engineers and/or scientists within the materials discipline. ABET, the leading accrediting organization serving the engineering profession, has defined eleven outcomes deemed as necessary skills for modern and effective engineering practice. The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS) has further defined 4 additional criteria specific to materials programs. For convenience and program efficiency, MSE has adopted the ABET criteria as a basis for tracking the individual desired outcomes of its students while in the program. While nominally common to all engineering disciplines, the ABET criteria outcomes vary in interpretation and emphasis among specific engineering fields and even among different MSE programs. To ensure that all outcomes are being met by its students, MSE at Virginia Tech associates the individual learning objectives established for each course in its curriculum to appropriate ABET criteria and continually updates, tracks, and validates student success in meeting these outcomes.

The ABET accreditation criteria used as the basis for tracking student outcomes in MSE, along with an interpretation of their relevance to the MSE discipline and their importance to the stakeholders of MSE, are:

• an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering MSE Perspective
  
• an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data MSE Perspective
• an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability MSE Perspective
• an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams MSE Perspective
• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems MSE Perspective
• an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility MSE Perspective
• an ability to communicate effectively MSE Perspective
• the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context MSE Perspective
• a knowledge of contemporary issues MSE Perspective
• an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modem engineering tools necessary for engineering practice MSE Perspective

The ABET/TMS Program Criteria specific to Materials Programs are:

• an ability to apply advanced science (such as chemistry and physics) and engineering principles to materials systems
• an integrated understanding of the scientific and engineering principles underlying the four major elements of the field, viz., structure, properties, processing, and performance related to material systems appropriate to the field
• an ability to apply and integrate knowledge from each of the above four elements of the field to solve materials selection and design problems,
• an ability to utilize experimental, statistical, and computational methods consistent with the goals of the program